1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the vehicle safety art and, more particularly, to an improved reflector formed as a wheel cover, a fixed applique to the outside of the body, a fixed geometric shape attached to a rotational part or as a rotating wind driven vane attached to a vehicle to function as a passive beacon to alert others of the presence of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With traffic increasing on the ground and in the air, the art of alerting other vehicles of one's presence is becoming imperative. Solutions to this problem have been attempted by several devices.
One classification of solutions incorporate active elements such as transponders.
In many areas of the country, aircraft transponders are required to transmit information to ground based receivers. This information is used in areas of heavy traffic. The information from the transponders is used in conjunction with radar information to locate the position and altitude of aircraft. This data is displayed to Air Traffic control (ATC) which can warn aircraft of other traffic. It is however, ultimately every pilot's responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft, both in these areas of heavy traffic and in all circumstances.
Other active element solutions have suggested the use of transponders and receivers on all aircraft incorporated into a collision avoidance electronic system. This system requires the detecting vehicle to have a receiver and an information processor to calculate relative positions and to warn if preselected thresholds are exceeded. The cost, installation and maintenance of the transponder, receiver, and information processor is high. At present, only commercial and military aircraft may afford such systems. This does not solve the problem of small, private aircraft colliding with commercial or military aircraft.
To be effective, such a system would have to be required equipment. Without such a requirement, the user of a transponder would have no assurance that another vehicle in the vicinity of the user has the capability of transmitting to the user and/or receiving the indication of the user's presence.
Another classification of solutions incorporates as its active element a plurality of flashing or rotating lights. The lights are mainly effective only at night. This night time limitation is somewhat overcome by the use of bright strobe lights. However, under conditions of a clear sky with bright sun light, even the strobe light is washed out.
A source of light which is not washed out on a clear day is the sun. Reflective sunlight is passive, bright, may be directed in a wide arc and is certainly an attention grabber even to an inattentive person in another vehicle.
The accident figures from the NTSB show that for the period of 1983 to the present, of the 129 mid air collisions, 103 of them occurred under clear, sunny conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,036 ('036) teaches the fabrication of a wheel cover with a reflective layer as a safety device. However, the reflective layer is formed on the inside of the cover and only usable when the cover is detached from the wheel and placed on edge such as during the changing of a flat tire.
Thus there has long been a need for an arrangement utilizing passive operation to indicate the presence of other vehicles in the vicinity of the user during daylight.
Further, it is desired that the arrangement be easily integrated onto the vehicle in a position which gives the largest angle of viewing to surrounding vehicles.